On Wednesday, Erika Brodnock and Johannes Lenhard published their book, “Better Venture: Improving Diversity, Innovation, and Profitability in Venture Capital and Startups,” which serves as a guide for those looking to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in the venture capital market.
The authors conducted more than 80 interviews to gauge how much progress there has — and hasn’t — been in the American and European startup ecosystem, suggesting that the current venture funding model is archaic. They point out that, in its current structure, it resembles the economic model used by European slave traffickers. This perspective puts into context how, centuries later, Black founders raise less than 2% of all venture capital funding.
“The diversity of an organization is really just the starting point. If you do the ‘D’ without the ‘I,’ you’re going to lose people immediately because people won’t feel they’re included.” Johannes Lenhard
Brodnock and Lenhard sat down with TechCrunch to discuss their book and what impact they hope it has on the industry.
This interview has been condensed and edited f …
